OBJECTIVE—The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of depression on all-cause and coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality among adults with and without diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We studied 10,025 participants in the population-based National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study who were alive and interviewed in 1982 and had complete data for the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Four groups were created based on diabetes and depression status in 1982: 1) no diabetes, no depression (reference group); 2) no diabetes, depression present; 3) diabetes present, no depression; and i4) diabetes present, depression present. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of death for each group compared with the reference group. RESULTS—Over 8 years (83,624 person-years of follow-up), 1,925 deaths were documented, including 522 deaths from CHD. Mortality rate per 1,000 person-years of follow-up was highest in the group with both diabetes and depression. Compared with the reference group, HRs for all-cause mortality were no diabetes, depression present, 1.20 (95% CI 1.03–1.40); diabetes present, no depression 1.88 (1.55–2.27); and diabetes present, depression present, 2.50 (2.04–3.08). HRs for CHD mortality were no diabetes, depression present, 1.29 (0.96–1.74); diabetes present, no depression 2.26 (1.60–3.21); and diabetes present, depression present, 2.43 (1.66–3.56). CONCLUSIONS—The coexistence of diabetes and depression is associated with a significantly increased risk of death from all causes, beyond that due to having either diabetes or depression alone.

We conducted a retrospective study to determine whether the presence of moyamoya collaterals influenced the risk of recurrence of cerebrovascular events (CVEs: stroke or transient ischemic attack) in patients with sickle cell disease placed on chronic transfusions after a stroke. Forty-three patients with homozygous sickle cell anemia (HbSS) and 1 with HbSO_Arab (16 females, 28 males) who had suffered strokes while under the age of 18 were studied. All patients had been on transfusions aimed at maintaining the sickle hemoglobin (HbS) level below 30%. They were followed for a mean of 6.6 years (2.2 to 20.4 years). The presence of collaterals was diagnosed based on either magnetic resonance angiography or conventional angiography. Eighteen (41%) of the 44 patients suffered recurrent CVEs. Nineteen (43%) (6 females, 13 males) patients had moyamoya collaterals. Eleven (58%) of these 19 experienced 21 total recurrent CVEs, including 4 strokes in 4 patients (21%). In comparison, 7 (28%) of 25 patients without moyamoya collaterals experienced 9 recurrent CVEs (P < .05) with only 1 recurrent stroke (4%). Moyamoya patients were also more likely to have 2 recurrent CVEs (42% vs 8%,P < .05) as well as poorer neuropsychological testing results. A proportional hazards regression analysis indicated that patients with moyamoya were more than twice as likely to incur a subsequent CVE (hazard ratio, 2.40; 95% confidence interval, 0.85, 6.75). We conclude that up to 41% of patients with sickle cell disease experience recurrent CVEs after an initial stroke despite chronic transfusions and that the risk of recurrence is significantly higher for those who have moyamoya collaterals.